


In Between ~ A TCM Fan Fic~

by ChubbyUnicornBooks



Category: The Cloud Maker
Genre: #adventure, #comic, #comicfanfic, #fantasy - Freeform, #skywhale, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:48:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25311103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChubbyUnicornBooks/pseuds/ChubbyUnicornBooks
Summary: In Between is a Fan Fiction I have been toying around with since the first book of The Cloud Maker ended. And since we only have three volumes left in book two I have decided to get a move on. (Note: This is a Fan Fiction, so some things might not make sense or go along with how the real story ends)In this story, you follow Fen's daughter Ella. She is living on her own in a small coastal village near the sea. Things begin to go horribly wrong as Cloud Maker calf suddenly falls from the sky...having been shot down. It's light stolen and mother going insane, causing mass distraction in her wake. This once more spikes a sudden split among races, and a wider divide between Kira and Ari. Ella is then tasked by the old Gods to go and try and reason with two; after all, her father left his sword to her, so they are bound to listen! There is just one iddy biddy problem...Ella has no idea what she is doing.





	1. From the Sky to the Earth

**Author's Note:**

> Please, PLEASE check out the original comics! https://www.deviantart.com/livingalivecreator/art/TCM-Volume-1-Cover-439253508

_No more Gods, that was the promise...no more Gods. But they seem to have forgotten what happens when people lose their way and Fen blamed himself for that. Fen collapsed to the ground on his side; he looked down at the knife in his stomach. The Pellie wanted to touch the blade, but instead, his just rolled onto his back, then leaned his head to looked up at the ceiling. The funny thing was, Fen couldn’t feel the pain anymore; in fact, he just felt numb and tired. Something had been set in motion, something terrible and Fen wished he could have stopped it, but there was nothing he could do. Not anymore at least._

_“I’m sorry” the Pellie whispered hoarsely as blood slipped from his lips. He said it to no one for he was alone, but at the same time, he was speaking it to everyone. Ari, Kira, his friends, his family...his daughter, Ella; she would be turning thirteen soon...another thing he felt guilty about. Fen didn’t even realize his eyes were closing till his world went dark. Someone was calling out to him, they sounded frantic, but they also too far away to make what they were saying. The world didn’t need Gods, it needed guidance; but who was going to be the one now? Who was going to pick up the pieces of a world shattered so many times already? For a split moment, before Fen finally succumbed to the darkness, he could feel a soft smile across his lips as he had a final thought. There would always be someone there. It didn't matter who; there will always be someone._

~~~~

Ella had a landed on the floor with a thud; her legs tangled in her bedsheets while her body hung upside down from her bed. Her curly blond hair fanned out on the floor. The young girl blinked before squinting at the sunlight that was hitting her face as it spilled from her window. The bustling sound of town life reached her ears and with it a chime of a clock. Ella’s brown eyes widened.

“Crud!!!” she yelled, struggling to twist around and to stand up only to have her sheets catch her legs, causing her to crash to the floor. “Oh, come on!” Ella shouted, finally kicking the fabric off before scrambling to her feet and dashing to her closet door. For the next few minutes, Ella’s morning was nothing more than a mad dash of washing her face, tying her hair back, and so on. By the time she has reached the stairs to the lower level, she was far too concentrated on getting her shirt on that the young human girl misplaced her foot and went tumbling down the flight of steps. So in short, just an average morning for Ella.

“You are later than usual” a hoarse voice spoke, the only responses was a pained groan, “Good morning to you too, Ella.” The owner of the voice was an old Alae by the name of Noah Albedo. When Ella first came to the small fishing town, she made a deal with Noah; she’ll work for him if she could live upstairs. It was fair trade, and the two got along fairly well for the past two years. Ella managed to get back to her feet, fixing her shirt before rubbing her arm as she walked into the small mailroom. A cupboard filled with letters on the one side while the other side of the room had Noah; leaning over a counter. A stack of packages of every shape and size next to him. Outside the wavy glass showed the town life hurrying by. “I have five packages for you to deliver” Noah spoke, patting the brown boxes with a thin, wrinkled hand “ and you better hurry because three of them need to be on the ship due to Altusi,” the Alae said, handing Ella a slip of paper with the name of the vessel on it.

“By what time?” Ella asked, carefully placing the packages within a cart next to the counter. Noah looked outside, fixing the thin wire glass on his nose as he squinted a little; causing more wrinkles to line his face

“Nine, so about...ten minutes ago,” Noah mused. Ella spun her head around

“Why didn’t you tell me yesterday it was going to be at nine!! I wouldn't have stayed up so late,” the young girl said. The Alae looked down at a few papers he was shuffling

“I did tell you,” he responded. Ella opened her mouth but quickly shut it, cheeks turning red. She gripped the handle of the cart and began to push it through the door, the bell ringing as the door opened. Once she was out, Noah glanced up through his glasses, watching as Ella struggled to get past the morning crowd. The Alae chuckled a little “that girl is going to be the death of herself,” Noah said, shaking his head.

The small fishing town was called Sullan Port; it was nestled on the west coast of the bay that the city was named after and only five days away from the town of Trust. Even though it was considered small, the population seemed to be growing day after day. The majority being Pellie; in fact, Ella was one out of eleven other humans that lived in Sullan. Ella was rather lucky she found Noah for many Pellie were still very bitter over both the God wars and the Human wars. Ella did her best to get in the good graces with others; however, just like her father had taught her. Be respectful, help those who can’t help themselves and of course be kind to those around you. And for her part, Ella did her best to do what was right, but Ella was a loner. It was hard to make friends her age; most of the time, she just felt lost. The pain of losing her father still weighed heavy on her heart, even after two years it still cut deep. Then, of course, there was another reason why Ella didn’t have any friends, and that reason made herself quite prominent in a few moments. The cart suddenly hit something as Ella weaved it along the street, the wheel bounced, and the girl lost balance as the cart tilted and fell; spilling its continents out onto the dusty road. It happened so fast the young girl had no time to react as she was suddenly shoved to the ground. She landed hard on to her hands and knees, wincing a little, as a sharp pain shot through her arms.

“Are you alright human?” a mocking voice rang out, Ella tilted her head up to see a small group of Pellie-kids surrounding her, and their leader stepped forward. Ella scowled a little at the sight of the other

“...hello Lotus” Ella mumbled softly, slowly getting to her feet to meet the Pellie-girl. Lotus had a trident rested on her shoulder, her head cocked to the side, dark blue eyes narrowing. Though her hair was raven-colored, the further you down the braid the bluer it became. Lotus was well known throughout Sullan. After all, her father was the mayor; which also meant no one batted an eye when they saw Ella pushed to the ground. “If you don’t mind, I need to get past you,” Ella said, trying to take and step towards her fallen cart before Lotus raised a hand and pushed her back.

“In a hurry, are we Ella?” Lotus mused, taking another step closer while Elle took a step back. The young human girl brushed a few strands of hair from her face, glaring at the other. One of the kids, a large Pellie-boy, took up one of the packages and started to shake it. Ella instantly tore her head away from Lotus and once more tried to take a step towards the cart; only this time, two other kids blocked her.

“Stop it!! That’s not mine. I need to deliver it!” Ella gasped, but the boy only laughed, still shaking the package and causing whatever it was inside to thud around. “You are going to break it!! Stop!” Ella shouted. Pushing against the two other kids, but they were pushing back, and Ella was going nowhere. The girl's heels were digging into the ground before she was shoved back. The Pellie-boy chuckled darkly, raising the brown box above his head

“Oh? The way I see it, you’re the only one who's going to get in trouble” he sneered before throwing the packages onto the ground. The contents within letting out a muffled sound of glass being shattered. The group of kids laughed, Lotus snickers before adding

“Ooh, tough luck human...hope that wasn’t anything important, I hate to see you kicked out onto the streets, but I’m sure your parents will-” then Lotus took a pause “Oh that's right, your parents hated you so much they just left you! Well, I’m sure you will get used to the street life” she sneered. Ella felt her face began to burn, her hands slowly clenching into fists before she suddenly shouted

“Why don’t you go build a bridge and jump off it!” The girl once more shoved through the two Pellie-kids, but this time she stomped on one of their feet while kneeing the other in the stomach. Once through, she didn’t give time for the larger Pellie-boy to react before she punched him square in the face. The Pellie-boy stumbled backward, clutching his nose. Of course, Ella winced as she pulled her hand away, trying to shake the pain off. That short pause, however, gave Lotus enough time to take the end of her trident and swept Ella’s legs out from under her with it. Ella crashed to the ground, landing on her side and knocking the wind out of her lungs. Gasping, the young human tried to lift her upper body, but Lotus put a stop to that by pressing the tip of her trident on Ella’s neck.

“Don’t you ever say that again,” the Pellie-girl hissed, her eyes narrowing tightly before pulling her weapon away just as an officers’ whistle was blown. Lotus looked over at the officer who was a few feet away before looking back her small group. “Come on; the fish aren't going to wait for us” Lotus mumbled, nodding her head to jester to the rest of the Pellie-kids to get moving, leaving Ella alone. The young human final had enough breath to slowly get to her feet just as the officer walked over to her, helping Ella to get her cart back up and refilled.

“Are you alright?” he asked, Elle didn’t look at him but nodded her head before saying thanks. Then, she began to push her cart down the street once more.

~~~

By the time Ella had returned to Noah’s post office, only one package was not delivered, that being the one that was thrown to the ground. Ella took a deep breath, wincing a little as she rubbed a bruised arm before peeking through the window to see Noah still at the counter. Ella turned away so that her back was resting against the bricks of the building; then Ella looked over at the cart with the single package. It was very safe to say that no one was pleased with the condition the boxes were in when Ella delivered them, but how was she going to tell Noah that one was broken. And what could she say? Lotus and her gang jumped her. There was nothing Noah could do about it. Ella picked up the package and started to walk away from the post office and towards the edge of the town. Ella didn’t want Noah to get involved in her own mistake. After all, she should have protected the packages better.

Ella was going to the forest that both bordered the town and the bay’s beach. It was a place she came to very often on days like these, someplace close the sea but not too close. A place that she could call her own in a way. The young human found a tree that both shaded her from warm afternoon sun but also let the light dabble the forest floor. Ella set the package down gently and then stood up, reaching under her shirt to pull up a string with three sapphire beads that she wore as a necklace. She took it off and hung it on a low branch so that the light could catch it just right, letting the ground be speckled in blue. The object wasn’t meant to be a necklace; they were in fact prayer beads, use to pray to the old Pellie God Altus, it originally belonged to her father and one of the only things left of him. Ella leaned on the tree before slowly sliding down, landing on the ground with a soft thud. She pulled her knees to her chest before sighing softly.

“I’m sorry dad, I got into another fight,” Ella mumbled, looking up at the beads. After a moment of silence, Ella crossed her legs and opened the box, looking down at the shattered remains of a stained glass window. Ella then picked a pice up, lifting it to the light. “Maybe I can fix it,” the young human thought out loud, starting to carefully take the glass from the box and set it out onto the forest floor. She let out a thoughtful hum before adding: “You would be better at this. It is like a puzzle!” Ella sighed, allowing herself to smile as she tried to put the different glass pieces in their spots. The picture that was starting to form seemed familiar to her, but Ella just couldn't put her finger on it. Suddenly a giant shadow passed overhead, in its wake a gust of wind swept over the forest. It was so strong that the trees creaked so loudly that they threaten to break in half, the box was blown far away, and the prayer beads were tossed from their perch on the branch. Ella hunched over, almost being blow away herself, her hair - already a mess from the fight- came loose from its tie and began to whip around, covering Ella’ eyesight. The wind died down once the earth suddenly began to shake violently. Ella yelped and fell to her side, curling up and covering the head. The small quake didn’t last long, although, for a moment, Ella laid on her side, unsure whether to move or not. But her mind was quickly made up when a loud, low cry broke the silence of pain. Ella shifts her body up, flipping her hair back as confusion crossed her face. The human staggered to her feet, she took a step, looking down she blinked. Ella quickly snatched her necklace back from the forest floor and raced towards the loud sound, following a path of broken trees and pushed up dirt. The girl stumbled a few times but finally managed to reach a hill, climbing up, the sound was getting louder till she reached the top and saw what had caused the wind and the quake. Ella’s brown eyes widen, the young human stood rooted to her spot as her body froze. The owner of the wailing of pain was a creature Ella had not seen since she was little, not since her father was still alive. It was a Cloud Maker.


	2. Strangers in the Woods

Ella took a shaky breath, looking down at the crater that held the small Cloud Maker. It was laying on its side; tail bent oddly as a couple of harpoons stuck out of its stomachs; a thick rope was tied tightly to the end of the large spears. Some of the cables were snapped and frayed at the end. While some were still whole; leading off in a direction towards the woods. But there was another wound on the small whale. Its body was riddled with holes far too large to be made by any spear or harpoon. Ella couldn't understand how something like this could happen, the sky whale hunts had long since ended, and Cloud Makers never came this close to the sea; if Ella remembered correctly, they stayed closer to the mountains. The human girl didn't realize she was moving till she felt her feet begin to slide down the dirt hill. _"Why is it so small?"_ Ella thought sadly to herself, stopping for a moment once she reached the bottom before starting to take a few steps forward. The poor creature was struggling to breathe, and its chest could barely rise up and down. One thing Ella notice was the vivid hues of purples and blues of the sky whale's skin was started to become faded rather quickly as the blood stained the ground. Ella walked closer, she took a shaky hand, reaching out to touch the wounded whale, she hastened for a moment before resting her hand on the smooth skin.

  
"H-hi…" Ella whispers hoarsely. For a moment, Ella had a memory of when she was little and seeing the Cloud Makers for the first time. They were so beautiful and free looking, but seeing the state if this one...this was wrong. A creature like this should not be put through so much pain. The small sky whale began to thrash around, letting out a booming cry of agony, its tail struggling to lift only for it to thud onto the ground; causing the earth to rumble. The young girl yelped and stumbled back onto her butt. Ella pants a little trying to scoot away from the struggling creature. "Please calm down, please!" Ella begged, "I'm not here to hurt you!". To humans surprise, it seems that the small Cloud Maker listened to her. Ella took a few deep breaths, relieved that things finally went quiet. Ella slowly got to her feet, holding her hands to her chest as she slowly walked back over. The young girl took small steps towards the small cloud maker's head. Once she reached the head, Ella once more reached out to touch the whale, but this time she placed both hands and forehead. "I'm sorry" Ella sniffed softly before taking one hand and gently petting the creature. The Cloud Maker made a deep, rumble sound that made Ella's bones shake. The girl sighed a little before looking over at the nearby brush as a group of voices began to grow very close.  
  
"The trail leads this way," a gruff voice yelled. Ella scrambled to her feet, unsure what to do; a part of her wanted to run, but the other half told her she couldn't leave the whale in the hands of who could be the very hunters who shot it down. Ella turned around then quickly bent down to pull a dagger from her boot, gripping the handle tightly. The silver bladed weapon was a gift for her twelfth birthday, and she promised her father that she would only use it for emergency; this seems to fit under that. Ella stood tall, taking a step forward and held her dagger close to her chest as the bushes were parted to the side. The first to come through was a tall, and stocky Pellie-man, he seemed just as confused as Ella was. A Pellie-women followed the Pellie-man: even at a glance, Ella could see that they were twins. The female blinked, before letting a soft smile crossed her lips.  
  
"Hello there my young friend, are you alright?" She asked, gracefully walking over but quickly stopping when Ella moved. The young human let one hand touch the Cloud Maker, while the other raised the dagger. Even though the action seemed a little pointless -due to the fact Ella was far too small to guard the sky whale- it made sure to get across that Ella was prepared to fight. This motion sparked the Pellie-male to scowl and quickly walked over to the female, hand already reaching down to unsheathe his sword. However, the female lifted her arm, stopping the male as before he could bump into it. "Orage...you are scaring the poor thing," she said in a scolding manner. The man glanced at his twin, frowning for a moment then slowly moving his hand away from the swords handle.   
  
"Who are you?" Ella asked as she lowered the blade a little. The Pellie-female gave a warm smile, bending down just a little bit so the two could meet, eye to eye.  
  
"My name is Marée, my brother and I are apart of a little traveling group" she began "We saw something huge fall from the sky and then that terrible earthquake happened," Marée said before standing up straight and walking past the human and up to the sky whale. Her expression changed from a happy one to sorrowful one very quickly. The Cloud Maker let out a whine, body trying to shift but going nowhere. "As a child, I heard stories of such creatures, I had always hoped I would see one with my own eyes," the Pellie-female sighed, "but not like this." Ella looked down for a moment, before putting her dagger back in her boots, she looked back at the small sky whale, rubbing her arm, she said:  
  
"My name is Ella, I … I saw him fall too; I wish I could have done more," Elle sighed softly. Marée let out a thoughtful hum, then she turned around and patted the young girl on the shoulder.  
  
"There, there my dear, there really isn't much you could have done for it, but there is something you can do for me; Is there a town nearby?" she asked, Ella nodded her head and Marée counties "Good, I want you to hurry back there, something awful is coming" the women said "a dead Cloud Maker is an ominous warning" she added. Marée then gently pushed Ella to get her moving. The young human furrowed her brows for a moment, looking back.  
  
"What about-"  
  
"Don't worry, my brother and I will stay with the sky whale?" Marée said with a short nod. Ella chewed her inner cheek before starting to walk away quickly. The quick walk became a run as she scurred up the mound of dirt and back into the forest. Marée watched until the girl was gone before turning her attention back to the fallen creature. She carefully walked over and rested a hand on the smooth but faded skin; she turned her head when Orage walked up from behind her. "Go back to the group, tell them what we found," she whispered hoarsely.  
  
Ella's head with swimming; What could this mean? The Pellie-women was right when she said a dead Cloud Maker was a bad sign. Last time the sky whale hunts happened all of Asteryn was at war, and that didn't end well for anyone...even the victors. The human girl stopped for a moment, resting against a tree for a moment. Panting heavily, then forcing her legs to move again just as a strange sound echoed from above her. Ella looked up at the dark, approaching clouds before suddenly ramming into something in front of her and crashing to the forest floor with a hard thud.  
  
"Ow! What the- Ella!!?" Lotus snapped, sitting up a little from here she was knocked to the ground. As for the human girl, she managed to get to her knees. She was wincing a little as she did so before blinking at the familiar voice. Ella turned her head around the see the Pellie-girl being helped up by one of her friends. Only two members of Lotus's group was with her this time; the other was the Pellie-boy who had smashed the box.   
  
"Didn't know you were so eager for round two humans!" He snickered as he starts to crack his knuckles. Ella just huffed before saying.  
  
"We can fight later, but right now we need to get back to town" she began, getting to her feet and looking right at Lotus with wide eyes "we need to tell your dad that something is going to happen, something bad." Lotus, however, just scoffed as her other friend handed her trident back.  
  
"Uhm, I'm not quite sure if you noticed or not but something already happened...we saw something big fall into the forest from the bay" the Pellie-girl mused before adding "so don't worry that little head of yours, you run back to town while we go check it out" Lotus teased as she patted Ella's head. Ella huffed softly as she shook her head and took a few steps back, she pointed back from where she came from  
  
"A Cloud Maker has been shot down, it's not safe, and we all need to get back to town!" Ella said before adding, "Now!". The three Pellies all looked at each other with skeptical looks before the Pellie-boy gave a snarky laugh.  
  
"Yeah right, sky whales are just a stupid bedtime story mothers tell their kids."   
  
"I'm telling the truth," Ella replied, looking over at Lotus and taking a step closer. The Pellie-girl rested a hand on her hip before shaking her head and turned around. Lotus was about to walk in the direction where Ella had come from, but Ella quickly grabbed Lotus's arm. The Pellie-girl promptly spun around, eyes narrowed, however before she could say anything Ella spoke; "Lotus...please" there was a pause, and Lotus's expression softened a little. At that moment, however, no one could have been prepared for what happened next. It sounded like a scream, but not any kind of cry a person can make. It echoed across the sky, Ella winced and covered her ears, bending over a little. Lotus and her friends did the same, all grunting in discomfort. Once the sound faded, Ella felt a breeze started to pick up; this was all too familiar to the young human. The breeze turned into the harsh wind. Ella yelped as she felt a few small branches hit her in the back as they were broken off from their tree. The wind was turning so violent that nearby there came a massive crash of a tree falling to the forest floor. From the sky, there came thunderous yell. Ella managed to glance up for a moment to see a large fish like tail fly overhead. By the time the winds died down, everyone could see the giant Cloud Maker above them; the massive creature was twisting around in the air as if searching for something.

Ella watched as it -almost gracefully- disappeared beneath the tree line. The girl's brown eyes squinted for a moment, trying to understand what had happened before a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and began to drag her away. The human girl managed to turn her head to see the Lotus was pulling her along towards the beach the border the forest

"Okay everyone gets back to boats! We are heading back now!" Lotus yelled out as they neared the rest of her group. However, the sight of the deep blue water began to make Ella feel nervous; she chewed her inner cheek, then managed to wiggle her arm out of the young Pellie's grasp. Lotus stopped, glaring at the human and confused manner. "What are you doing?" she asked. Ella sheepishly rubbed her arm for a moment, feeling her face becoming red from embarrassment

"Wou-wouldn't it be faster to go through the forest then the water?" Ella asked Lotus looked back at her friends, already pushing their small fishing boats off the sandy shore, then she turned to look at Ella with a slight frown.

"No, it would not be faster, just get in the boat human" Lotus sneered, once more grabbing Ella's wrist before she could even offer a protest. Ella was pretty much tossed into the small wooden vessel that had only one other occupant inside, holding an ore and looking at the blond with a perplexed look. Lotus gave the fishing boat and good shove into the ocean waters before hopping in herself just as another ear-splitting cry boomed overhead.

"What is that!?" the Pellie asked Lotus, but she only shook her head, telling him not to worry about it while taking the ore and using it to push them further out the sea. The boats were trying to cut across the small bay so that they could reach Sullan's ship docks, and they were making some good progress. The two Pellies rowed as fast as they could, while a petrified Elle sat in the boat, knees close to her chest, trying her best to avoid looking over the side at the deep waters. So instead the young human trained her sight on the shrinking shoreline. While Lotus and her friend backs were turned to the shore, Ella watches with wide eyes as the large Cloud Maker rose from the forest.

"Lotus" was the only word Ella could muster out, the young Pellie looked at Ella before turning her head just in time the witness the Cloud Maker fly overhead, causing the once calm waves to become rocky. The sky whale rose far above, almost disappearing into the clouds, but to everyone's horror, the whale nose-dived into the ocean with an erupting splash. The impact began to push the water, creating large replies that become towering waves. Noises of the water crashing about began to drown out the groups panic cry; even Ella couldn't hear her voice. The small boats started to shift back and forth violently, Ella hit the sides of the wooden vessel multiple times while Lotus and her friend tried their best to keep it from capsizing. But without anyone steering the fishing boat, it was caught up in the curtain and the rocky waves, Elle was starting to feel sick. She looked up for a moment to see a few of the fishing boats turn over, the Pellies inside all dumping into the water. The young human turned her head just into to see a massive wave crashing down only a few feet away from them, the impact caused the fishing boat to tip a little too much on one side, casting all three into the dark waters below.

Ella's head went below the water, with only a split second for her to take a breath. The girl began to panic, she flailed her arms wildly, trying so hard to push her body back towards the surface; _"I need to get out, I need to get out!!"_ she thought frantically but no matter how hard she tried though the water made them feel as if rocks had been tied to them. Ella didn't know if she was upside down or right side up, she couldn't see anything in the blurry green surroundings, and her long curly hair covering her eyes was not helping either. She thought she saw figuring swimming; it was hard to keep an eye on them with the current tossing her around like a doll. After a while, though, the saltwater started to sting her eyes, forcing Ella to close them tightly. The girl winced inward, holding her chest...her lungs were beginning to hurt. Suddenly, Ella's back hit something hard and sharp, the sudden collision on what could only have been a rock caused Ella to throw her head back and gasp out. Bubbles were escaping from her lips, and she could taste the large gulp of saltwater in her mouth. Ella felt herself sinking; she was too stunned, too tired to struggle anymore. For a second, just before things went black, Ella opened her eyes for just a moment, seeing that something was glowing near her ankle. Soon though, Ella's head got dimmer and dimmer, until things finally went dark.


	3. Aftermath

"Well, this does not make any sense, the blade isn't here nor our successors, so why are we here?" a female voice asked, though it came through very muffled for Ella. The girl's head ached, and her whole body felt sore, suddenly something in the human gave a lurch: and Ella coughed out a good amount of water. The salt had made her mouth bitter and dry, and the young blond could feel her face scrunch up. However, relief flooded Ella; it felt so good to fill her lungs with fresh air. She coughed a few more times, gasping the rest, and slowly opened her eyes.

"I told you she wasn't dead" a male voice spoke, this time a little more clearer. The voice sounded deep and worn. But for some reason, it sent a shiver down Ella's spine. The human was laying on her side, parts of her hair were cast over her face and her vision was still a little blurry. The sun was starting to set, casting the beach into a dark, golden glow. A few feet away from her, Ella could make out three figures. An alae, pellie, and a human. Ella squinted her eyes before reaching up and brushing her hair from her face. The group seemed like the start of a bad joke. The young girl struggled to get to her knees, spitting sand from her mouth as she tried to wring her shirt out. 

"I hate water…" Ella mumbled out loud, her ears picking up what the small group was saying.

"Not much of a pellie's daughter now is she" the alae-women mused. The remark made Ella snort, finally getting enough strength to push herself to her feet.

"You guys do know I can hear you, I'm right here," Ella said loudly, not looking up as she began to examine herself; noticing many cuts and bruises, however, no broken bones. "But yeah, no, talk away, I'm sure whatever conversation you are having is way more important than a half-drowned girl,” she mumbled to herself. The strangers seem to fall silent, but Ella didn't notice. Wincing, the young blond felt the back of her head; the rough, crackled feeling of dried blood met her fingertips. It was at this moment that something finally clicked in Ella’s mind, and she looked over at the three. “How...do you know about my dad?” she asked, Ella had never told anyone in the port-town about her father; even when she was asked, she said that he was gone and refused to say anything else. The three looked just as bewildered as Ella felt, they all looked at each other for a moment before the human-male spoke

“Are you the one that summoned us?” he asked, Ella looked at him in confusion 

“It has to be her, no one else has the blade,” the pellie-male said, while the alea-woman folded her arms, staring at Ella for a moment before she spoke.

“You girl, you were raised by Fenric, were you not? Did he not entrust you with my brother’s blade?” the alea-woman asked. Ella was taken aback by just how straight forward she was; her tone was very blunt. The young human blinked, trying to find her voice.

“Ye-yes” Ella stammered “he was my father, but how did you know him? And what do you mean by ‘your brother’s blade’?...the only sword dad ever gave to me was-” Ella cut herself off, her brown eyes began to widen a little. “W-wait, if the sword was… and you said… that means!” the human girl held her head, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again, looking back at the three. “I’m dead...aren’t I?” Ella asked out loud. The pellie-male shook his head. He took a few steps forward, raising his hands to try and calm down the panicked girl. 

“No, you are not dead, Ella.”

“Then how else am I talking to you!! All of you are supposed to be dead!” Ella said, taking a few steps back. “I know the stories; I know who you are, Rikus, Altus, and Isis.” The alea-woman let out a sigh

“It feels so good to know that we haven't been forgotten, even by the likes of her,” she said in a mocking tone. Rikus crossed his arms, glaring at his sister.

“Don’t you two start!” Altus hissed softly, turning his head to his younger siblings before looking back at Ella. “This...might be hard to explain,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “A trial is about to occur, and it is going to pin the new Gods against each other.” Altus siad, then Rikus chimed in

“Under better circumstances, your father would be the one to see the trial through...however, that duty now falls onto you,” the human god said, though he didn’t meet Ella’s confused eyes.

“I don’t understand! What trial? What is my duty!?” the girl asked. This time, it was Isis turn to speak

“You saw the warning sign; it won't be long until the new gods find out what has happened here, and when they do you must be there to advise them” Isis mused as she added “You have the blade of Altus, like your father before you. You must keep balance amongst the Gods.” This statement did not help Ella feel less lost. The young girl blinked as she held her head with one hand; it was starting to hurt even more now. 

“Recover your blade, and seek out Ari, he will be the easiest one out of the two to find” Altus spoke up. Ella squeezed her eyes shut, then quickly opened them as she looked up

“I don’t even kno--” she cut herself off as she saw the empty space where the old gods once stood. The human was silent for a moment. Then, she burst out with a yell. “Oh Come on!! You can’t just drop that bombshell of information on me then leave!”. She began to turn around in hopes to at least catch a glimpse of the three, but no such luck. Ella was alone on the beach. The blond slowly sank to her knees, cradling her head and trying her best to collect her scattered thoughts. “I don’t even know where Ari is…” she softly to herself. It had been years since she last saw the God of Light, and that time he sought them out. Ella took a deep breath in, listing to the crashing waves. A flash of light suddenly caught her eyes, and she removed her hands to see something glinting in the sand. It was her dagger; Ella rose to her feet and walked over to the small weapon. _“Must have fallen out when I was in the water,”_ she thought as she reached down and plucked the silver blade from the wet sand. “First things first...get back home,” Ella said softly to herself as she returned the dagger to its spot in her boot. Ella looked up, seeing the dusk sun slowly starting to sink below the ocean, and judging by the forest behind her; Ella was not so far away from the port town. The young girl’s heart began to sink however, once she turned in the direction she needed to go. A huge smoke cloud was like a marker on a map, and it was right over Sullan Port.

~~~

Ella, when she was young, use to have nightmares of a watching a town bursts into flames. Walking into Sullan-Port was like walking into her nightmares. The once-booming seaside town was now quiet and dead. Fires crackled softly over piles of crushed wood; buildings were toppled over like they were matchstick houses. Some people were walking about in a state of utter shock, while others sat weeping next to piles of rubble. Ella took a step, and the sound of glass crunched under her weight caused her to wince. She lifted her foot to see she had stepped on a picture of what looked like a family. The young human slowly squatted down, picking the glass away only to reveal that the fire had damaged the picture; The faces had been burned away. It was at this moment her mind drifted to Noah and his little post office. _“If there are survivors, then maybe he’s okay”_ Ella tried to think calmly, but she was starting to run. Trying to remember which street lead where, but they all looked so different now. Ella stumbled over something, catching herself just in time before crashing face-first on the ground. This, however, caused her to slow down, noticing scattered papers. The young human looked up to see the collapsed building that used to belong to Noah. It was a heap of chard wood now, the glass had been shattered and the shards stuck out of the ground, and the mail was either on fire or getting caught up in the wind. Ella felt her chest tightened, and her breathing started to quicken. The girl shut her eyes, placing her hand on her chest and gripped it, “no, no, no,” she said hoarsely. _“Not again...please not again”_ she started to take a few steps back until a voice cut through the panic haze.

“Ella?” the human spun around to see the older alea hobbling up to her, he looked rather beat up but still alive and breathing. Noah was using a piece of wood as a cane, gripping it with his right hand while he kept something long and wrapped tucked under his left arm. The alea gave a wary smile when he saw the human girl, and Ella gave a brighter one in return.

“You are okay!!” she gasped in delight

“Oh...it’s going to take more than a giant whale falling from the sky to take out this old buzzard” he chuckled as he stopped and planted his makeshift cane into the ashy earth. Ella’s smile faded a little, she held her arm and looked down

“What...happened?" She asked. Noah let out a thoughtful 'hum' sound, his eyes turning serious for a moment as he began to recall the events that happened earlier that day.

“The ground shook so bad that I was sure that the entire post office would collapse...I walked out to see nothing at first” Noah began, glancing up at the darkening sky; a few stars were starting to poke through. “The next thing I hear is a roaring splash, yelling, then a giant shadow over the town. The cloud maker was going insane! Using that tail of theirs to knock over the buildings” the older alea shifted, handing Ella the wrapped object. “I managed to grab this from your room before running for safety,” he added as the girl took it; it was heavy, but she recognized the feel. Ella unwrapped it just enough to show off the handle of the sword. The blue gems shone brightly in the dying sunlight. It was not hard to tell that the weapon had been through a lot, and yet, it had the feeling that it was ready for more. “That is a quite the sword” Noah mused, giving a little nod as he talked. Ella took the rest of the sword’s covering off, and unsheathed it just enough to see her reflection in the silver blade.

“My dad told me to take care of it if anything were to happen,” the girl said softly

“That is a tremendous responsibility,” Noad said, resting a hand on Ella’s shoulder, making her lookup. She was quiet for a moment before saying

“You...have no idea”. Noah only gave her a knowing smile, patting her shoulder gently. Ella sighed, placing the sword back in its sheath, then, taking the straps she managed to buckle it onto her back. “Noah, I need to get to Altusi-” she said, the alea quickly cut her off. Shaking his head, Noah said;

“Sorry to tell you, but the port has been demolished, every ship we had is gone...but if you can wait, some will be back in...oh, the next five weeks, give or take the weather.” Ella blinked, glancing off into the direction of the sea then back at Noah with a panicked look.

“I can’t wait that long, I have to find someone, and I can’t find him without talking to someone else who is on Altusi! And I have to find him now because something bad is going to happen! I mean something worse than what just happened” The young human began to ramble, taking a hand and pressing it to her forehead while doing so.

“Ella! Calm down” The older alea said quickly, once again placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder “there might be someone else who can help you get to the island, follow me,” he said, leading Ella towards the western side of the town. “Earlier, a group of pellies came in after the dust had settled, offered to take as many injured or in need as they could back to their camp” Noah explained, stopping at the edge while Ella continued to walk for a second before stopping. “If you ask, I’m sure they can help you to Trust, and you can get a ship that way.” Ella thought for a moment

“I don’t need help getting to Trust, I know the way,” she said, giving a smile; but Noah gave her a stern look.

“But you shouldn’t go alone,” he said before sighing softly “be safe Ella, that’s all I ask because if you don’t come back how am I supposed to deliver all the mail, I’m not a spring chicken anymore” he laughed, and the young human laughed with him. Ella turned around and began to follow the path, leaving the destroyed town behind her; but making a silent promise that she would return.

The day gave away to the night, the crickets -hidden within the brush- chirped to one another. Nearby an owl called out; it was a warning to the prey in the night. But the only thing that kept Ella on edge was the distant thunder slowly rolling in. The human had no idea if she was following the right path if it starts to storm, then precious time will be lost. Ella reached up and tugged on the sheath's strap, feeling the weight of the sword tug back. It had been years since she last held the blade, let alone even looked at it. A part of her had tried to forget about it after her father passed: She kept it beneath her bed, covered and under a pile of forgotten junk. But it was always there, in the back of her mind. A splash pulled Ella from her thoughts: her foot had taken a step into a puddle, cold water began to seep through her boot. she let out a groan. “I’ve had enough of water for today!” she mutters under her breath, lifting her wet foot and started to shake it.

“You are not very bright” as voice mused, startling the young human into spinning around.

“Where did you come from!!” Ella gasped, seeing the looming figure of Rikus standing in front of her. His arms were crossed, and he gave his head a tilt

“You called out to me, why else would I be here,” he scoffed, starting to walk past the bewildered human. 

“I...didn’t call you!” Ella argued, but she let her voice trail off when Rikus shot her a glare. 

“I gave that pellie more credit then I should have...didn’t he teach you anything about that blade?” the old god asked. Ella gulped a little, shaking her head. The only thing Fen every told Ella was the stories behind the sword. Rikus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “You are reckless...walking a path at night alone, with a valuable weapon for the whole world to see” Rikus began, glaring at Ella as he did so “foolish, very foolish.” Ella could feel her face burning, she bit her inner cheek and started to walk past the human god

“Well, if you don’t like it so much! You take the sword!” The girl spat, “I-I don’t have time for this, I need to find that camp” she added.

“Trust me, girl, if I could, I would gladly take that blade...but the dead can only observe” Rikus mutters as he began to walk next to Ella.

“And whose fault would that be?” the young blond mused with a smirk, glancing up at the old god only for her color to drain from her face as she saw the cold stare Rikus was giving her. His eyes narrowed and his mouth formed a very thin line. Ella quickly looked away, keeping her eyes glued to the ground.

“Keep your mission a secret, and keep that blade hidden” Rikus growled. Ella only offered a nod in response, still refusing to look up. There came a dark chuckle which caused Ella to shiver a little. After a few minutes of silence, the young human finally looked to see that she was once more alone. Ella took a deep breath, stopping and bending down.

“I really hope I’m just going crazy” Ella whispered hoarsely to herself before straightening up and continuing walking again. Thankfully, it didn’t take long until Ella could hear the distance chatter, and further down the path, she could see the light of campfires. As she approached, Ella got a quick glance at her surroundings. It was a large encampment. Tents were set up and large bound fires crackled with people around them. Some were laying on blankets as someone tended to them; Ella recognized a few from Sullan. Just then a pellie dressed in guard like clothing appeared in front of the young human. He glared down at the girl before asking;

“What business do you have here?” Ella took a few steps back, holding onto the sheath's strap.

“I need supplies to get me to Trust,” she said

“Are you from Sullan-Port?” he asked, Ella gave the nod. The pellie shook his head, uncrossing his arms, looking the human girl up and down, “our supplies are running thin as it is, we can only give it to those who are in dire need, go on your way, I’m sure you’ll get a good few miles to Trust before hunger kicks in” The guard then turned away and started to walk off, but Ella followed.

“Please, I need to get to Altusi, the port in Sullan is destroyed and Trust-” she started, but the pellie only brushed her off

“Not my problem,” he mutters. Ella frowned, she didn’t know what else to say

“Let me talk to the person in charge!” she said quickly, running in front of the guard and stopped, forcing the guard to stop as well. “I’m not going to leave you alone until I do,” she added; placing her hands on her hips. The pellie looked down; Then up after a long sigh, he looked back over.

“I don’t have time for this,” he muttered under his breath, then saying “Fine, follow me.” The pellie guard led Ella to one of the bigger, round tents. Before entering, he turned around and held out his hand. “Your sword and any other weapon, hand them over,” he said. Ella gave raised an eyebrow at him, “it is for everyone's safety,” he added. The girl sighed, first reaching into her boot for her dagger, then unstrapping the sword from her back; Handing both to the guard. The pellie opened the tent flap, entering first as he said “my apologies Marée, Orage, but this girl wanted to speak to you." He then set both of the weapons onto the table in the center of the tent. Peeking out behind from the guard, Ella recognized the three people around the table. And one of them instantly knew her.

“You gotta be kidding me,” Lotus said, it was quiet, but Ella still heard it. The irony of it all was that Ella was thinking those same words. It wasn’t until now that Ella began to wonder what had happened to Lotus after the small boat had tipped over. How did she end up here? She didn’t look like she needed medical help. As for the other two, the young human remembered them as the twin pellies from the forest. The female one, Marée, smiled, standing up from her chair.

“Thank you,” she said. The guard gave a nod and left the tent. Marée eyes met Ella's, and she gave a small chuckle. “Well, if it isn't our little friend from the forest, Orage,” the female-pellie chirped, walking over to Ella and offering her hand, which the girl took with a friendly smile. “Ella correct?”

"Yes," the human girl said

"It is good to see you again dear, though I must say, you have seen better days, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you…. I just need some help getting to Altusi,” Ella said. Before Marée could respond, Orage spoke from behind.

“Where did you get this?” he asked, his voice was dark. The male pellie lifted the sword from the table, unsheathing it to show the rest of the people in the tent. Lotus’s eyes widen at the sight of it and Marée stared blankly, whispering something that Ella couldn't hear. Marée took the sword from her brother, cradling it gently for a moment before lifting it towards the tent’s candlelight, studying it intensely. Something in the back of Ella’s mind was telling her to play dumb, but the way Orage stared at the young human made her blood run cold. Besides, what need was it to lie?

“My father gave it to me,” Ella said, Marée glanced over at her

“And who gave it to your father?” she asked.

“A man named Bayde,” Ella responded. The air in the round tent seemed to get tense-not to mention awkwardly silent. Marée, still holding onto the sword, rested the tip on the ground. 

“We had heard a rumor that Fenric had a child...I just never thought…” Marée trailed off, looking up at Ella with a strained smile “It is an honor to meet you,” she said.

“Did...you know my father?” Ella asked, Marée gave a sadden nod while her twin shifted, crossing his arms before speaking.

“Once, we met...he was a great pellie.”

“Indeed,” Marée said in agreement. Ella looked down at her feet, trying her best to ignore the twang she felt in her stomach. “And it would be a true honor to help his daughter in her time of need” the female twin added. She then turned her attention to the quiet Lotus who looked to be in shock. “Lotus, you have room in your tent, Ella will stay the night there” then Marée turned around on her heels, walking back to her seat “tomorrow, we shall have your things prepared for your travels” Marée finished. Ella looked over at Lotus; the pellie's face was twisting into a frown as she stood from her chair and started to walk towards the tent's flap without another word. Ella quickly retrieved her dagger and was just about to follow; but she quickly touched her chest, then turned around quickly.

“My...sword,” the human said, standing still as she looked over at the female-pellie. Marée blinked, turning around to look at Ella before looking down at her hand to see the sword was still in her possession.

“Oh...of course, such a scattered brian I have” Marée giggled, handing the blade to her brother who placed it back in the sheath. Orage gave the sword back to Ella, who bowed her head, eyes not leaving the pellies.

“Thank you,” she said, strapping the sword on to her back.

“Ella!! Come on!” Lotus cried out from outside. The young human quickly turned around and left the tent and the pellie twins inside. Ella quickly walked behind Lotus as the two navigated through the small city of tents. “You have a lot of nerve; you know that” Lotus suddenly blurted out, catching Ella off guard.

“What do you mean?”

“Where did you get the sword hu?” Lotus sneered, turning to face Ella as they continued to walk “did your parents steal it? Is it a fake?” Ella frowned, glaring at the pellie girl before turning her head away

“I told the truth if you don’t believe me that’s your own problem,” the human said. Lotus gave a small growl but didn’t say anything else. When Ella had turned her head, she noticed something next to them as they passed. It wasn’t a tent; It sat on wheels and was made entirely out of wood and metal. Almost like a covered wagon. Just then, before they fully passed it, Ella heard something coming in that direction. It was a whistle, but not a whistle, a person could make naturally. Ella stopped for a moment, squinting at the wooden structure. Wondering if what she heard was real or not. Lotus didn’t notice that the human was no longer walking with her. Again, Ella heard the whistle sound; it was definitely coming from the structure. The blond noticed a split between the wooden boards, closing one eye Ella peeked through the slit. Squinting to see if she could make out anything in the darkness. Suddenly and an eye appeared right in front of Ella, the girl yelled out in surprise; pushing herself away from the wooden structure and stumbled back. 

“Hey!” Lotus shouted, briskly walking over to Ella with an angry expression on her face. “What are you doing?” the pellie girl asked, placing her hands on her hips. Ella took a deep breath, looking back at the big cart thing then back at Lotus.

“Uhm...nothing…” Ella said, before gesturing to the thing behind her “what is that exactly?”, Lotus scoffed, crossing her arms and formed a smug look

“It does not concern you,” she said. Ella gave her a blank stare before smirking a little.

“You don’t know what it is either,” the human said, causing the pellie girl to go red in the face.

“Just shut up” Lotus mutters, grabbing Ella by her arm and leading her away from the large wooden cart. The human gave one glance back at the structure before looking away and focusing on following Lotus to her tent. At that moment, a clap of thunder shook the sky and the heavens opened up with rain.


	4. Metal Wings

It was like a sea of black ink. That was what it looked like to Elle. The water was dark and deep, with no land in sight, and the sky was a never-ending void of darkness. The human girl was curled up in a ball on a small mound of sand. A part of her knew she was dreaming, but she couldn't wake up. Ella stared blankly at the inky water for a moment before it was disrupted by something. The young human sat up, watching large bubbles rise to the surface, followed by what could only be a giant whale tail struggling to break through the water.  
  
"Well, isn't this a cheerful place," a female voice said, startling Ella to her feet. The girl spun around with a bewildered look as she said  
  
"What are you doing here!!" It was the first thing that Ella could think to say. Isis crossed her arms, glaring down at the human  
  
"You called out to me; I have no choice but to answer, it doesn't matter where or when" Isis replied  
  
"Get out of my dream!!" Ella shouted. The goddess leaned back a little, uncrossed her arms, but keeping one hand on her chest.  
  
"What a rude little nuisance you are, first you call out, then you yell at me to leave!" the goddess sneered before turning her head away. Ella let out a little growl  
  
"What does that even mean!? How do I even call out to you?" the human huffed, but the alea refused to look at her or say another word. Ella crossed her arms and turned around to face the dark sea once more. "If the sword can call out to the dead and make them appear...why won't he come!?" Ella said shortly, "I rather see dad than you." Isis let out an annoyed sigh.  
  
"Our father forged the sword, it's magic is as ancient as he is, and it calls out to us and us alone," the goddess said, "it is apart of our being, your father was not a God." Ella furred her brow and whispered softly  
  
"He should have been." Her head bowed a little before slowly sitting down, holding her knees as she did so. For a long moment, the only sound was the struggling splashes coming from off in the distance, caused by the whale's tail.  
  
"Why don't you give yourself pleasant dreams" Ella heard the goddess asked. Ella had thought that maybe she had finally left and was surprised when she listened to the voice. The young human sighed,  
  
"It's… not that unpleasant, I don't mind it all that much," Ella said softly "sometimes I see dad," she added with a mumble. There came a pause, then Isis turned around and walked next to the human girl, kneeling down and not looking at the girl as she spoke.  
  
"I'm only giving you this advice so you would stop summoning me at random," the goddess siad. "The blade is connected to its owner; one's emotional state will affect how it will act. You are unconsciously calling out for us to help. You need to learn not to rely on us to solve every little problem you have" then, Isis added, "we are here to offer advice, not the solution." Ella chewed her inner cheek, trying to put the pieces together.  
  
"So, you are like … the advisor's advisor," the human said, a slight smile playing at her lips. For a moment, Ella thought she heard the alea-goddess snicker before it was quickly stifled. Suddenly, Ella felt her wrist grabbed.  
  
"Wake up human," Isis said horsley, the girl was about to turn her head to face the other, to ask what was wrong. But Isis yelled before Ella could say anything. "Wake up!"  
  
Ella's dagger was already in her hand as she lurched forward, swiping at something in the dark. Someone gasped, then something fell to the ground with a thud. The humans' eyes tried to adjust to the dark as she heard the sound of running and the flap being pushed away harshly. The suddenness of it all had Ella's head spinning as she scrambled form her sleeping bag, "Hey! Wait!" she called out, stumbling a little as her foot tripped over something on the ground. Ella knelt, feeling the object; her eyes widened when she realized it was her sword. Someone had tried to steal it. Ella turned her head, about to tell Lotus to wake up; when she realized the pellie's cot was empty. The young human shook her head, swinging her blade onto her back and running from the tent. Ella planned to get to the bottom of this.  
The earth was soft from the heavy rain earlier that night. The clouds were still there, heavy in the sky above, refusing to allow some moonlight to slip through and illuminate the ground. But Ella made sure to give her eyes enough time to try and adjust. The camp was quiet, save for a few whispers of the night watchman. Ella searched in vain to find the would-be-thief, but she had lost them. The blonde stopped running for a moment, ending up near that large wooden wagon. Ella panted softly before looking up at the sky as she heard a sound. Off in the distance, there came a low, mournful cry. She recognized it: The Cloud Maker. It took until now for Ella to put the pieces together; the whale calf in the forest, then the other sky whale appearing and destroying everything in sight. _"You were his mother,"_ Ella thought sadly, listening to the sky whale crying out into the night sky for a few more minutes. After a while, a familiar whistle broke the girl's concentration. Ella turned her head, and on instinct, walked towards the wooden cart. "Who are you?" the young human asked, crossing her arms after stopping a foot away from the cart.  
  
"Keep your voice down, or else the guard will hear you," a voice whispered back, Ella wasn't expecting an answer, but before she could respond the voice from behind the wooden panels spoke again. "That's the sword of Altus...the last person who had that was Fenric, how do you have it?"  
  
"He was my dad," Ella said, she was beginning to feel awkward telling people about her family.  
  
"You aren't a pellie," the voice said in a confused tone. The young human sighed, rubbing the back of her head before saying  
  
"I'm adopted" The voice on the other side was quiet for a moment, then spoke up again  
  
"If he gave you the sword, then that means you aren't with them," the voice said. Ella tilted her head, scrunching her face up.  
  
"What do you mean?" the human asked, unknowingly talking a little louder than the stranger wanted because the voice quickly shushed her.  
  
"I hear someone coming," Ella could hear it too, footsteps against the mushy ground. "In the morning, go to the far west side of the camp, we can meet there," the voice said quickly as the footsteps grew louder.  
  
"Wait, what's your name?" Ella asked as she looked around in the dark, trying to figure out where the footsteps were coming from.  
  
"I'm Cleite" the voice answered, Ella, tilted her head with a smile  
  
"My name is Ella," the blonde said, quickly turning around so she could avoid getting caught. But no sooner had she turned around another voice called out to her. One that sounded, very annoyed.  
  
"What are you doing?" Lotus asked, lifting a lantern as Ella froze, then slowly turned around. The young human took a beat, gripping the sheath strap and scowling at the pellie-girl.  
  
"I could ask you the same thing! Someone was in the tent and tried to steal my sword!" Ella said, watching Lotus as she placed an empty hand on her hip  
  
"And what, you think it was me?" Lotus sneered, the blonde sneered back  
  
"Well, you weren't in the tent." The pellie girl straightened up, starting to walk past Ella  
  
"What? Now I have to tell you every single time I need to relieve myself? We aren't friends, Ella; I don't need to tell you anything!" Lotus huffed, the young human stood still for a moment, then started to follow the other. Ella could feel her face burning as she mumbled a soft 'sorry.' After a moment of unbearable silences, Ella spoke up  
  
"Marée and her brother seem to really trust you, do you know what they are here in the first place?" she asked, Lotus didn't respond at first, but after taking a breath, she looked back  
  
"I do, but I'm not going to tell you."  
  
"Well, can you at least tell me how you got here?"  
  
"They asked for someone to represent Sullan, they needed someone to help them with the locals so I volunteered"  
  
"I would have thought you dad would have," Ella said, scrunching her nose up in confusion  
  
"He would have...if the house didn't cave in on him," Lotus responds bluntly, with a hint of a quiver in her voice. Ella nearly stops walking when she heard that.  
  
"Lotus, I'm sorry...I-I didn't know-" but the human was quickly cut off  
  
"Save your pity; I don't want it, he's not dead. He's being looked after here" The pellie girl snapped, glaring at Ella. The blonde frowned slightly.  
  
"Then why not pick someone else," Ella asked. Lotus let out a sigh  
  
"Do you ever stop talking?"  
  
"I just want to know!"  
  
"Fine!" Lotus sneered, stopping in her tracks and turning around so the two were face to face "when no one else will step up, then you have to!" Lous half yelled, "no one else was going to help my people," then the pellie scoffed "as if someone like you would understand that." Lotus gave Ella a harsh stare before turning her back and finishing the journey to the tent. Ella stayed silent, trailing behind the pellie. The young human entered the tent last, Lotus already on her side and in her bed: her back was facing Ella. The blonde took a deep sigh, crawling onto her sleeping bag, holding her sword close to her chest, and slowly she returned to sleep.  
  


**~~~**

  
After the second loud cry causing the sky to rumble, Ella finally sat up from her sleeping bag. Eyes still closed and hair going every which way while she let out mumble of nonsense. Ella rubbed her eyes and rested her hand onto the sword; the girl sighed with relief. Getting to her feet, the human realized that the tent was once aging empty; Lotus was gone. _"Where do you keep disappearing to?"_ Ella asked herself. The sky shook again when Ella poked her head out from the tent, just as a human guard walked by. "Excuse me, is that the cloud maker causing that noise?" Ella asked. The guard stopped, looking at her for a moment then up at the dark cloudy sky.  
  
"Yes, miss, it has been hovering very close by...I suspect it has been causing the storm as well," the guard said, Ella gave them a small nod and watched them walk away. The human stepped out from her tent a few minutes later, tightening the strap of the sword on her back. Not quite sure what she was to do now, Ella decided to try and find the far west side of the camp; after all, she wanted to know what that stranger was talking about from the night before. The camp was more extensive than Ella initially believed. After a while of wandering around, the human noticed something that looked promising and a little odd. It looked like a blacksmith shop only on a much bigger scale, with several large kilns. Ella heard the sound of metal being pounded before she could smell molten mineral. She scrunched her nose up and coughed. The girl also noticed that guards densely populated on this side of the camp. _"Has to be for looking after the metals"_ she thought, watching as a group of people lifted a sheet of copper.  
  
"Ella," a voice called out from behind her, and the blonde spun around to see Orage and Lotus walking towards her; Lotus holding a large sack, which she instantly tossed to Ella, who caught it just in time. "It's all done, Orage and a few of his men will take you to Trust," Lotus said, in her usual blunt kind of way, though she didn't meet Ella's gaze.  
  
"Oh...thats awesome, when do we leave?" Ella asked  
  
"Right now," Orage said, whistling with his fingers to summon a few guards.  
  
"Now!!" Ella gasped, dropping the sack, which landed with a thud. Orage gave a nod, before pointing to the sky  
  
"It's going to storm again, it's best we get moving now before we are hit with the worst of it," the pellie-man said. Ella began to nibble on her lip. Now she could finally get to Altusi, but at the same time, she was dying to know what Cleite was talking about.  
  
"That's ... Uhm that is great to hear!" Ella began, taking a few steps back, "But I. .. Uhm...I think I forgot something back at the tent, so I'll be right back!" and before anyone could protest, Ella quickly sprinted away; however, she promptly made a u-turn along her path and went straight for the blacksmith like camp.  
Ella looked around; this close up, she could see that some of the workers were Alae, which was a rare sight considering that they were rare to see, to begin with. Ella looked around for any hints on who this "Cleite" was. She even tried to ask a few workers if they knew anyone by that name, but they rudely brushed her aside. Ella soon stopped walking and stood at one of the tents. _"Now what?"_ she thought, just then someone grabbed her hand and pulled her into the tent. Ella let out a surprised cry, suddenly coming face to face to an alae-boy.  
  
"Hi Ella!" he said playfully, all Ella could respond with was  
  
"You were the one that kept whistling at me!" the alae-boy chuckled, lifting a chain that held a rose-gold whistle.  
  
"Pretty neat, huh? We use them in the mines, so we don't get lost, who knew it could have other uses! Here, hold this for me!" he said, shoving a hefty backpack into Ella's arms. She nearly dropped it due to its weight.  
  
"Wh-what is in this thing!?" the human gasped, struggling to get a good hold on it. The alae, whom Ella finally realized to be Cleite, looked at her after picking up a wrench and kneeling next to a cover machine. Cleite began to loosen something as he talked.  
  
"Those are my wings."  
  
"Alae's don't have wings."  
  
"And humans aren't born from pellies...and yet-" Cleite pulled something from the machine, glancing at Ella with a playful smile, "here we are!" Ella's face went a little red. She looked away for a moment as she set the backpack down. "Of course, they are technically a glider, still haven't found a way to make them flap yet," the alae-boy said, pulling a pair of goggles down from his head to get a better look at the gear he had removed.  
  
"And I told you I'm adopted-" Ella stopped herself, taking a breath "look, Cleite, I don't have a lot of time, I have to leave for Trust right now so-"  
  
"Leave?! You can't leave!" Cleite suddenly yelled, pulling his goggles up quickly and giving Ella a wide-eyed stare. "You have to help us," he added, standing and walking back over to Ella.  
  
"Help us? What-"  
  
"What are you doing!" Lotus yelled out, pulling back the flaps and stepping into the tent. Ella and Cleite both jumped and turned around to face the pellie-girl; like two children getting caught by their parents. Before Ella had time to explain, Lotus was hit square in the face with a wrench, and she crumbled to the ground. The human froze, then slowly looked over at Cleite, whose arm was still outstretched from the throw.  
  
"What did you do that for?!" Ella asked, trying her best to hide a certain giddy feeling. Cleite blinked, pulling his arm back as he stared at the pellie on the ground, almost as if he hadn't realized what he had done.  
  
"I-I just panicked…" he said. Ella looked back down at Lotus before crouching next to her. She was hesitant for a moment, then, she reached over and shook the pellie-girls shoulder. Ella was trying to see if she was responsive. Lotus let out a groan, slowly rising from the ground with a hand on her forehead.  
  
"Are you okay?" Ella asked, leaning back a little as Lotus began to move. But pellie had no interest in the blonde next to her. Instead, her eyes were fiercely locked on to the alae-boy before her.  
  
"You are so dead, bird-brain," Lotus growled, shoving Ella away and getting to her feet. Unhooking her trident from her back, she rushed Cleite. The human girl let out a yelp as she stumbled, hitting her head against one of the cover machinery. Ella winced, holding the back of her head. As for the other two, Lotus was chasing Cleite around the tent. The boy spun around and grabbed hold of the trident's handle. Trying to pull it out of Lotus's grip but the pellie-girl managed to kick Cleite's feet out from under him. Bring both of them to the ground.  
  
"Let go of me; you glorified goldfish!" Cleite spat, doing his best to shover Lotus away, while the latter managed to grab hold of one of his ears, causing the alae-boy to cry out in pain. Ella slowly recovered from her own fall, taking a sudden intake of air as she felt a sting on her skin. Narrowing her eyes, she noticed a cut on her upper arm, slowly glancing up to see a large spear tip, with a few specks of red staining it. It was poking through the fabric that was covering the object Ella was leaning on. Ignoring the scuffle in front of her for a moment, the blonde stood up and pulled the cloth away. Ella's eyes widened, and she had to take a few steps back. It was a harpoon-like canon.  
  
"Cleite, what is this doing here?" Ella asked, turning back to face the two, but it seemed her question fell on deaf ears as Lotus and Cleite continued to fight, the trident had long been tossed to aside. The human sighed, placing a hand on her hip "Lotus, can you stop fighting for just a second" again, no response. Cleite managed to kick Lotus in the stomach, the peillie grunted and stumbled back. It did not end the scuffle, though, because right after the kick, Lotus through a punch. Ella frowned, taking a step forward, "guys! Come on!" she snapped, the two ignored her like before. _"Okay, fine!"_ Ella thought bitterly, reaching behind her back, she unsheathed the sword and swung it. The blade hit the metal parts of the harpoon, causing a loud ringing sound, which made everyone fall silent. Lotus and Cleite looked over at Ella, who pointed with her sword at the machine. "What is this doing here?" she asked, her voice sounding a little horse. Cleite blinked, pulling away from the pellie before speaking.  
  
"We made it for them; we made all of these," he said, gesturing to the other covered objects.  
  
"What does that mean?" Ella asked, tilting her head. Cleite took a beat, holding onto his whistle, fidgeting with it for a moment  
  
"That's why I wanted to talk to you... I'm from this mining town at the base of one of the Helbire mountains, one day those pellie twins came through and said the council needed volunteers for weapon-making" as Cleite talked, he pulled the cover off another object, this time a giant cannon. "After a while, things got weird...we built enough weapons to supply a full army and then some, but they wouldn't let us go home, they kept making us build things while they moved around. I thought since you have that sword you could conceive them to let us go home"  
  
"Why?" Ella asked, walking over to the cannon and touching it slightly  
  
"Ask the pellie, she's with them, isn't she?" the alae-boy said with a scowl, pointing over to the sheepish looking Lotus. She was holding her arm and refusing to look at anyone. Ella tilted her head, and Lotus gave a small glance.  
  
"Lotus, what do you know?" the human asked. The pellie remained quiet, "Lotus! you know something, you have to tell us!" Ella said, taking a step towards the other.  
  
"Why should I?" Lotus scoffed softly, still refusing to look up at the human. Ella scowled, gripping the handle on her sword before suddenly yelling  
  
"Because that cloud maker was shot down by harpoons and cannons," she then gestured to the inside of the tent "and look at what is all around us!" she added.  
  
"J-just because they have this stuff doesn't mean they are responsible" Lotus quickly shot back, causing Ella to hold her forehead, letting out a loud groan. Cleite had remained quiet through all of this. He seemed to have shrunk back a little. His face drained of any color with a permit look of disbelief. "Look," Lotus said, nibbling on her lip "they just told me that the council wanted them to go out and have weapons made."  
  
"And that's it?" Ella asked, raising an eyebrow as she talked. Lotus finally looked up at her, taking on a deep breath before nodding. Ella bit her inner cheek, closing her eyes for a moment, then opening them back up. "But why? Don't you think it's weird that they aren't heading back the way they came? Sullan is nowhere near the council city, and why won't they let Cleite and the rest of his town go back home?" the human asked.  
  
"There's something else we are building for the twins," Cleite piped up softly, making the two look over at him. "It's like a cannon but not the kind for a ship; judging by the blueprints they gave us, some kind of crystal is going to power it."  
  
"What kind of crystal can do that?" Lotus asked, placing a hand on her hip. But Cletie could only offer a shrug in response. Ella, however, was lost in thought, glancing down at the sword still in her hand, she caught a glimpse of her reflection. Just then, the alae pulled her from her thoughts.  
  
"Ella? Did I help make something that killed a sky whale?" Cleite asked. Ella looked at him and saw such a pain-filled look in his eyes. The human sighed, giving the other a wary smile before giving the boy a gentle pat on the shoulder.  
  
"None of you could have known, it seems that Marée and Orage have been keeping secrets from all of us," Ella mused, looking back and forth at the two.  
  
"We still don't have proof they are behind the dead sky whale," Lotus said in an annoyed voice. Ella hung her head for a second, taking in a deep breath.  
  
"Lotus, for once, please just trust me," Ella said, looking straight at the pellie, "I know what I saw". Lotus looked Ella dead in the eyes, before uncrossing her arms.  
  
"Alright, fine…" she said, her once stern expression seems to soften a little, "but now what? What can we do to stop this?" she asked. Ella once again began to chew on her inner cheek, glancing at Cleite for a moment, then answered Lotus's question.  
  
"Altusi can wait, we need to tell the workers what the weapons they made were used for...then, try and get them out of this camp," Ella said, though she sounded a little unsure.  
  
"And how exactly are a bunch of adults going to take a human girl like you seriously?" Lotus asked, a smug look crossing over her face. This time, it was Cleite's turn to speak. He gave off a cheerful laugh, hanging one arm around Ella.  
  
"Uhm, I'm not sure if you noticed, but Ella has the sword of Altus, AND her dad was the most prominent pellie in all of Asteryn," he said with his own smug smile. Ella gave out a nervous chuckle  
  
"Yeah, I'll use some of my dad's charm! Should be easy!" the human girl said. Lotus frowned, before pinching the bridge of her nose.  
  
"Oh, we are so screwed…"


End file.
